minnich



S. B. IVHNNlCH.

-PRESS.

APPLICATWN FlLED FEB. 8.1918. 1 3 1 3,228. Patented Aug. 12, 1919,

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S. B. MINNICH.

PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-8,1918.

Patented Aug.12,1919.

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UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE.

SIMON B. MINNICH, OF LANDISVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MARY C.

MINNICH, OF LANDISVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7 Pate 11 a Aug.12, 1919.

Application filed February 8, 1918. Serial No; 215,999.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON B. MINNIOH,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Landisville, in the .county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Presses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to presses for baling products that are to be stored, handled or shipped, and its object, generally stated, is to provide an improved machine which is eflicient, convenient, simple, durable and adapted to general use.

Characteristic features of my improvements are found in the housing mechanism, which opens to freely expose the sides and ends of the compressed materials so that the bale can be covered, sewed and tied conveniently while under pressure without altering the position in which it was formed in the housing; in the ram or follower mechanism, which provides a stable construction designed to counterbalance unequally distributed resistances to its movement while adapted for following into the closed housing; in the automatic means for returning the ram under control of the means for applying power thereto; and in the means for applying power, including lever mechanism in which the ratio between the power and work arms increases as such mechanism approaches the limit of its working movement.

The foregoing and further features of my improvements are embodied in the mechanism set forth in the following description and the accompanying drawings in illustra tion thereof by which the invention is fully disclosed. V

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the mechanism embodying a form of my invention, part of the housing mechanism being drawnback and' partially broken away to illustrate the manner in which the bale is exposed while under pressure; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken. on the line 22 of Fig. 1, with parts of the housing shown in the closed and parts in the open position; Fig-.' 3 is an end elevation of the mechanism with'one half the housing closed, the other half open and the power lever acting as a brake or look; Fig. 4B is an enlarged detail view of the power mechanism with parts broken away; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. i.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is provided with the horizontal frame work comprising the longitudinal beams l having connected therewith the transverse end beams 2 and intermediate beams 3, shown as formed of channel irons this frame work supporting the bed or floor 1 of the press. Columns 5 are connected at their tops by beams 6 and are supported by the diagonal legs 7 fixed thereto and to the beams 3, these parts providing two parallel verticalframe.

constructions supported by oppositely extending legs to provide stability. Columns 8 are fixed to and supported by an end beam 2 and are connected by a cross'beam 9 forming a vertical frame construction transverse to the parallel frame construction described. to which it is fixed by the connection of the beams 6 with the beam 9; The vertical frame work is further braced by the diagonal members 10 connecting the members 5 with the members 2 and the diagonal'membe'rs 10' connecting members 5 and 6.

Traction wheels 11 are journaled on yokes 11 which are journaled in the brackets'12 on the frame, and provide means for readily moving the machine. T

A beam 13 is movable vertically between the adjacent columns 5, which act asguides, and parallel trusses 14 are fixed thereto by the Z-bars 15 forming their upper chords; a follower or ram head 16. being fixed to the trusses by means of the angle bars17 forming their lower chords and providing an extended bearing for the follower.

The beam 13 is connected with a counter weight 18, which is movable between the columns 8, by a flexible tension member 19 passing over the sheaves 20 journaled between the beams 6. The beam 13 is also connected with a shaft 21, jo-urnaled in the beams 2 and 3, by the links 22 bolted to the respective ends of the beam and the chains 23 connecting the links to the shaft, the chains having their succeeding links offset to provide for winding their convolutions of the same diameter-along the shaft.

The shaft 21 has fixed on an end thereof a ratchet wheel 24 which is operated by a lever 25 fulcrumed on the pin 26, the latter be-: ing carried by a beam 2. The lever 25 is provided with a relatively movable arm formed-by links27, connected therewith by the bolt 28 and together by the bolt 29 adapted for engaging the teethof the ratchet wheel, the latterl'ying in the plane of the lever between the links. The arm is held out of action by the engagement therewith of a hook 30 carriedby the lever.

A dog for holding the ratchet wheel 24 is provided by the parts 31, which are jour naled on a bearing 32 carried by a beam 2, and the part 33 connected to "the parts 31 by the pin 34, the parts 31 acting as struts to engage the teeth of the wheel and the part 33 serving as a h-andle for disengaging the dog from thewheel.

Two arms 35, shown as angle irons, are pivotally connected by bolts 36 with the ends ofeach of the middle "and the lower beams 9 fixed to columns 5, the'arms having their outer ends bent at right angles and toward each other. Arms 37, shown as angle irons, are pivotally connected with intermediate points of the respective arms 35 by bolts 38. The respective arms 37 are pivotally connected by bolts 39 with links 40 which are pivotally connected in pairs to the corresponding beams 9' by bolts 41, between the bolts 36.

Guy rods 42 are pivotally connected at their upper ends to thetop cross arm 9 of columns 5 by the-bolts 43 and at their lower e ds to the arms 35 by the bolts 44.

The arms 35 have the respective sides 45 and end sections 46 of the housing fixed thereto and'the arms 37 have the respective end sections 47 fixed thereto, such sides and end section's being adapted for forming a closed housing, locked, by the engaging parts 48 and 48, around the goods to be compressed therein by the follower 16 to form the-bale 49.

In operation, with'the beam 13 elevated, so as to-elevate the follower 16, and the housing parts '45, 46 a-nd47 locked together in the closed position,the goods to be'ba-led are placed in the housing through a door 45 thereof. Then the lever-25 is oscillated to turnthe wheel 24 and wind the chains 23 on the shaft 21, which draw down the'beam 13 and carries the ram into the housing to the extent required for applying the vnecessary pressure. In this movement,the bolt 29rides over the teeth of the wheel 24 until the lever 25 makes contact with the wheel, in the reverse movement of the lever, and, in moving the lever inthe opposite direction, the wheel is operated by the engagement of the bolt with a tooth thereof, the work arm or projection'of the distance between the bolts 26 and 28 growing shorter asthe leverdescends from the vertical position and providing'thema-ximum capacity for applying power where the operator is able to throw his weight on the-lever most conveniently.

The ram or follower, having been forced down to the extent desired for compressing the goodsfis held on the bale 49, by the automatic action of'the dog 31 on the wheel 24 and the housing is opened to permit the bale to be covered. In opening the housing, by swinging the arms 35 on their hinges or ,pivots 36, the housing parts 45,46, and 47 swing clear of the bale, the parts 45 and 46 moving outwardly therefrom as they are turned by reason of their relation thereto, and the parts 47 being drawn back therefrom as they move outwardly, by reason of their hinged o'r pivotal'connections and the action of the links 40. The sides and ends of the bale having been exposed, thecovering sheetsthat have been placed on the base 4 beneath *the goods, andon the goods beneath the follower 16 can "be drawn together and "the seam 50 formed around the bale while it is und'e'r pressure. Whilethe bale is still under pressure, the hoop irons can be passed through the channels 4 and 16 in the'base 4 and follower 16 respectively and the hoops 51 tied on the bale. When the bale has been tied and "it'is desired to withdrawthe follower 16 therefrom, the beam 25 is thrown to "the position in which it will bear, "or can readily be caused to bear tethetlesired degree, upon the periphery of the wheel 24so that, upon withdrawing the dog 31 from engagement with the wheel and permitting thecounterweight 18 toelev'ateth-e ram, the lever will act or can be used as a brake to control the upward movement and prevent a jar due to the sudden stoppage ofthe downward movement 'ofthe wei 'lit.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a press, the combination with a frame having'colu'mns providing guides, of a beam movable in said guides, a ram-depending from said beam, means comprising a revoluble shaft for moving saidbeam,and a housing in which'said "ram is movable by said beam, said housing having hinged sections respectively movable to cover and uncover four surfaces of abale.

2. In a press, the combination with a frame having columns providingguides and beams connecting said columns, of sheaves carried by said beams, a flexible tension member carried by said sheaves, a beam movable in said guides, a counter-weight connected with said beam by said member, a ram depending from said'beam, and a housing'in which said ram is movable bysaid beam, said housing comprising oppositely movable parts each'ha'ving relatively movable sections adapted for covering and uncovering four surfaces of a bale.

3. In a press, the combination of a ram comprisinga head and spaced trusses fiXed to saidhead with'a housing in which said ram is adapted to-reciprocate, said housing comprising oppositely movable parts each having hinged sections adapted to cover and uncover four surfaces of a bale.

4. In apress, the combination of a ram, with a housing having hinged parts adapted to inclosesaid ram and to be moved back therefrom so as to fully expose the surfaces of a bale covered by the closed housing.

5. In a press, a housing having separable members, in combination with a pair of arms movable in opposite directions, a second pair of arms movably connected to said arms first named, and means connected with said second palr of arms for moving them relatively to said arms first named upon the movement of the latter, whereby the members of said said arms second named and adapted for moving them relatively to said arms first named when the latter are moved, whereby said members are adapted to be closed around and to be withdrawn from a bale.

8. In a press, the combination with a frame, of housing mechanism having members hinged to said frame, members hinged to said members first named, and members connecting said frame and said members second named whereby the latter are movable relatively to said members first named.

9. In a press, the .combination with a frame, of a shaft journaled relatively thereto, a follower, mechanism whereby said shaft is connected with said follower to operate the same, a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft, a lever adapted to brake said wheel automatically, and a link movably connected with said lever and adapted for operating said wheel.

10. In a press, the combination with a frame, of a shaft journaled relatively thereto, a follower, mechanism whereby said shaft is connected with said follower to operate the same, a wheel adapted to operate said shaft, a lever adapted to brake said wheel automatically, and means ivotally connected to said lever, between its fulcrum and its part to which power is applied, for engaging and operating said wheel.

11. In a press, the combination with a frame, of a shaft journaled relatively thereto, a counterweighted follower, mechanism whereby said shaft is connected with said follower to operate it, a wheel adapted for operating said'shaft, and mechanism comprising a lever for operating said wheel and automatically braking the movement thereof by said counterweighted follower.

12. In a press, the combination with a frame, of a journaled shaft, a follower, means adapted to be wound on said shaft for connecting the latter with said follower, a toothed wheel fixed on said shaft, a lever adapted to rest on said wheel, and means whereby said lever is connected with and is adapted for applying gradually increasing power to said wheel.

13. In a press, the combination with a frame, of a journaled shaft, a follower, means comprising a chain adapted to be wound on said shaft for connecting the latter with said follower, means comprislng acounterweight fixed to' said follower, a'

toothed wheel fixed .to said shaft, a dog for.

holding said wheel, a lever adapted to oscillate in the plane of and to act automatically as a brake for said wheel, and links pivotally connected to said lever and connected by a member adapted for engaging the teeth of said wheel, whereby the latter is operated.

14. In a press, a housing having a hinged member, a second member hinged to said member first named, and an oscillatory device connected with said second member whereby it is moved relatively to said member first named when the latter is turned on its hinge.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name this 5th day of December, 1917. SIMON B. MINNICH.

copiel of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

